Novacrust

Novacrust is a cross-border financial platform founded in November 2024 and headquartered across New York, Nairobi, and Lagos. It is designed for African freelancers, remote workers, creators, and entrepreneurs who earn in dollars or other hard currencies but live and spend in local currency zones. The platform connects global income sources to local financial access by combining traditional banking rails with cryptocurrency on- and off-ramps in a single account.

The Problem

Many African digital professionals face structural obstacles when receiving international payments: elevated foreign exchange spreads, high correspondent bank fees, slow settlement times, and limited access to compliant crypto conversion. Peer-to-peer exchanges can take 15 to 90 minutes and carry counterparty risk. Novacrust positions itself as a faster, more direct route, claiming a three-step process (deposit, convert, cash out) that completes in roughly three minutes, with withdrawals clearing to local bank accounts or mobile money wallets within 60 seconds.

Products and Features

Global USD Accounts. Users receive a USD account that accepts inbound ACH and wire transfers, as well as payments from Zelle, Cash App, PayPal, and Revolut (added November 2025). This allows direct integration with platforms such as Payoneer, Stripe, Upwork, and Fiverr, enabling freelancers to receive international income without a US bank account.

Crypto On- and Off-Ramp. Novacrust supports deposits and payouts in USDT and USDC across multiple networks, including Solana, Celo, Optimism, Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, and Tron (launched December 2025). As of July 2026, it added direct support for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana (SOL), and Tron as deposit and payout assets in addition to stablecoins. SOL and Solana-network stablecoins are among the supported on-ramp options.

Virtual Cards. USD-denominated virtual cards with a 10,000 USD monthly spending limit allow users to pay for goods and services globally anywhere Visa or Mastercard is accepted.

Cross-Border Transfers. Users can send money to bank accounts and mobile money wallets across more than 50 countries in 35-plus currency pairs, including Nigerian naira (NGN), Ghanaian cedi (GHS), Kenyan shilling (KES), South African rand (ZAR), British pounds (GBP), euros (EUR), and US dollars (USD).

Gift Card Trading. Launched May 2026, this feature lets users buy and sell major gift card brands including Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Apple, and Steam, converting them directly to local currency without third-party intermediaries.

Developer API. Novacrust exposes a RESTful API built on HTTP POST and GET requests, enabling merchants to embed financial services into their own applications. Supported operations include card issuance and management, collections via virtual accounts and crypto wallets, and payouts to bank accounts, mobile money, crypto wallets, ACH, and wire. A webhook event system covers payout events, card operations, and collection activity. A Postman collection is available for testing.

Geographic Focus

The platform is live in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya, with expansion planned for Zambia and Tanzania. Transfers reach more than 50 countries. The company targets digital professionals who earn globally while residing in local-currency markets, including Upwork freelancers, YouTube creators, and Patreon contributors in those countries.

Solana Integration

Solana is one of the networks Novacrust supports for stablecoin settlement (USDC and USDT) and, since July 2026, for direct SOL deposits and payouts. Users selecting Solana as their preferred network can fund USD accounts or receive crypto payouts in SOL or Solana-based stablecoins. Novacrust is not Solana-exclusive and runs across multiple chains to accommodate user preferences.

Key Milestones

• November 2024: Platform founded.
• December 2025: Full USDC and USDT funding and payout support launched across Solana and other networks; joined the Circle Alliance Program, providing access to Circle's product, engineering, and policy resources for USDC adoption.
• November 2025: USD account expanded to accept Zelle, Cash App, PayPal, and Revolut as funding sources.
• May 2026: Gift card buy and sell feature launched.
• July 2026: Expanded crypto support to include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Tron as direct deposit and payout assets.

Regulatory and Compliance Posture

Novacrust operates as a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided through licensed partners. The company maintains active compliance dialogue with Nigeria's Central Bank (CBN) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Its developer documentation specifies KYC requirements that vary by country. The company states it does not operate as an unlicensed custodian.

Scale and Traction

The Novacrust website reports more than 10,000 users. Independent reporting from TechCabal in July 2026 cited approximately 300,000 USD in monthly transaction volume, with roughly half of the company's customers paying with crypto — a shift the company said came from user demand rather than a deliberate strategic push.

Team

The team operates across offices in New York, Nairobi, and Lagos. Tolu Folayan serves as marketing lead. No additional named executives are disclosed in public sources.